NEWSCENTER 22:00
Korea′s rival political parties are going to great lengths to meet halfway on a key free trade deal with
China.
This
... as deadline looms for the
FTA to be ratified this year.
South and
North Korea agree to vice-ministerial dialogue next month - they HAVE managed to keep the dialogue mood afloat but what about major pending issues?
We have an analysis.
Black Friday craze gets well underway in the
U.S. but it′s no longer a shopping spree limited to those in that country. With e-commerce and online stores flooding the net,
Koreans are jumping in to stem a drop in mega discounts.
A very good evening to our viewers here in Korea and hello to those around the world. I′m
Moon Connyoung. You′re watching Newscenter.
Title:
National Assembly hopes to pass Korea-China FTA next Monday
Korea, China FTA is the
point of contention... at the moment... between this country′s two political parties.
However, instead of locking horns, lawmakers are attempting to meet halfway - they have agreed to work towards ratifying the Korea-China free trade deal next week.
Even so, as our parliamentary correspondent Ji Myung-kil reports... there are obstacles standing in the way.
The ruling
Saenuri Party has set a deadline of next Monday ... or at the latest Tuesday or Wednesday for ratification of the Korea-China FTA bill.
The ruling bloc called for the opposition′s cooperation in order for Korea to benefit from tariff rate cuts from the end of this year.
"
It′s imperative we ratify the Korea-China FTA bill on
November 30th... to benefit from tariff cuts. Economic revitalization bills must also be passed to run our economy smoothly."
Floor leader Won said if the trade pact takes effect within the year, the government estimates that
Korean companies could save some 5 billion
U.S. dollars in tariffs.
However, the main opposition
New Politics Alliance for Democracy said the parliament should further discuss support measures for agriculture… and industries that could be adversely affected by the trade pact.
"I think the Saenuri Party is turning a blind eye to potential damages to the agricultural sectors. There′s no sincerity.
Sometimes I really feel the urge to walk out of the room."
The
NPAD urged the government to devise effective measures to guard against a massive influx of cheap
Chinese agricultural produce other than rice, and said that the government cannot focus on subsidizing rice farmers any longer.
Meanwhile,
President Park Geun-hye has once again urged the parliament to ratify the accord by next Monday or risk potential losses of 4 billion U.S. dollars per day in exports.
Seoul and
Beijing signed the free trade deal in June, but it has yet to be ratified by the respective legislatures of the two countries.
Ji Myung-kil,
Arirang News.
Title:
Quick approval of pending FTAs at parliament critical for exports:
Finance Minister
As the rival parties agreed to make one more attempt at narrowing the differe
- published: 27 Nov 2015
- views: 486